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<title>So keep on laughing .... because it's good by the_milky_way</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27960737">So keep on laughing .... because it's good</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way'>the_milky_way</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>25 Days of Buck and Eddie [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>25 Days of Fic, Buck is a dork, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy, Humor, Laughter, M/M, POV Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Prompt Fic, Soft Boys, Soft Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, prompts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:22:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,254</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27960737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_milky_way/pseuds/the_milky_way</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of on-screen failures and important realizations</p><p>or:<br/>Buck forgets to close the video call, Eddie watches on</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>25 Days of Buck and Eddie [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036098</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>482</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>So keep on laughing .... because it's good</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Prompt for Day 8:<br/>"Energy"<br/>and<br/>A prompt by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/SMeerschwein/pseuds/SMeerschwein">SMeerschwein</a>: <br/>Buck and Eddie are in a video chat. Buck forgets to turn his camera off and Eddie watches him. Buck does mundane everyday things and is goofy while doing so. Eddie realizes again how in love he is with the dork.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eddie can’t remember why they continued on with the video chats. After that one team meeting where everyone was basically in different parts of the city, him and Buck just stuck with it. They still call each other the usual way. But when there’s something they want the other to actually see they use video calls on their laptops because they need their cells to send pictures back and forth. Yeah, don’t ask him. It’s just what it is. </p><p>They’ve both been off for the last three days (which is a small miracle in Eddie’s opinion) and haven’t seen each other in just as long. Mainly due to Buck having caught a light cold and not wanting to give it to Chris. But Chris, irrevocably awesome kid that he is, drew a picture for Buck and just had to show him. Really dad, had to.</p><p>That’s how Eddie finds himself in a video call that has been going on since breakfast and which his son has long logged out of - in the form of leaving to read in his room. According to Chris, talking adults were a little annoying when it comes to enjoying a good book. Buck’s laughter  over that lasted a good 15 minutes. </p><p>They’ve talked about the most random things in the hour since Christopher let them be. Work, music, food and books. But Eddie has plans for the rest of the day, so he should end this sooner than later. He just doesn’t want to. Talking to Buck is good, relaxing.</p><p>“Any plans for the rest of the day,” Eddie asks, frowns when Buck slips out of frame. </p><p>There’s an audible thumb and Eddie knows he shouldn’t laugh but his lips twitch nonetheless. It is not the first time Buck manages to slide off his furniture while talking to Eddie. That man’s legs are just too damn long to fit on his couch in a way that is comfortable and lets Buck curl up.</p><p>“Uh.. sorry about that. Slippery socks. No, no plans. Boring housework. Sleep I think. Still a little under the weather.” The sniffle that follows shouldn’t be cute. </p><p>Eddie really tries not to find it cute. Also, the image of Buck’s feet slipping out from beneath him? Reminds Eddie of the ice rink and how much Buck resembled a fawn. Yeah, no, not cute at all. Eddie just wants to pull him close and coo. And that is something he’ll never ever admit to anyone as long as he lives. Not even to himself. He blinks when Buck says his name.</p><p>“Back with me?”</p><p>“I... yeah. Just... grocery list.”</p><p>“Real nice, Edmundo. And here I thought talking to me was way more interesting than a grocery list.” </p><p>The pout is played, overdone even. Buck’s been doing that with him a lot lately. Eddie has a hard time ignoring it. He’s had a hard time for a while now when it comes to not spacing out daydreaming about one of Evan Buckley’s features or mannerisms. </p><p>“Not really.” Because banter he can do. Looking at Buck pouting without being very tempted to blurt out how very much he wants to taste those lips? Not so much.</p><p>“Okay, with that nice jab I’m going to log off and leave you to your list. You seem to like it more than me,” Buck answers smiling that one smile Eddie has learned means he’s being playful. </p><p>“Alright. I need to check on Chris anyway. And call Sophia to get updated on whatever drama is going on now. Since, you know, I promised to call.” Eddie feels a little idiotic when he puts promised in airquotes. Buck gets it anyway and laughs.</p><p>“See ya on shift, Eds.”</p><p>“Bye, Buck.” Out of reflex he mutes the call.</p><p>Eddie closes the lid of his laptop but leaves the program running because he knows Sophia will want to see him, too and FaceTime just doesn’t do it for her. He’ll call her after he checks in on Chris.</p><p>+++</p><p>It takes him a while to make his way back into the living room. Christopher can be very convincing when he wants Eddie to read with him. And Eddie did need to get the grocery list done, before he actually does the shopping and forgets half of what he needs.</p><p>He settles on the couch, laptop still ready to go on the coffee table and places his freshly brewed cup of tea (shut up, it’s good for his stomach) right next to it. The start screen pulls up when he opens the lid and for a second Eddie thinks something is wrong. There shouldn’t be a picture already on his screen. The call screens usually are black when there isn’t a call connected. He’s about to close the program to restart when there’s movement. </p><p>Eddie snorts. Out loud. Then he starts snickering before he claps his hand over his mouth. A look towards his icons reassures him that he’s still on mute and that his camera failed to reconnect. He stays like that for a minute or two, perched on the edge of his couch, hands pressed against his lips and body shaking with laughter.</p><p>Because… well, because Buck apparently failed to disconnect properly and the call is still going. Maybe Eddie’s camera shutting off when he closed the lid let him think he disconnected. Anyway, right now, Eddie is watching Buck sliding through his kitchen, hips shaking and arms waving. He pulls the volume up a little. And it’s really, really hard to not dissolve into tears. Tears would make him miss all this. Eddie’s laughing so hard that hiccups settle in his diaphragm. </p><p>Buck is watching Sesame Street. Buck is also totally into the song and follows instructions to the point. Wave your arms. That he does, even though it looks more like flailing. Shake your hips to the right. Yep, he does that, too. Turn around and shuffle your feet. That, well that doesn’t work so well since Buck still seems to be wearing his slippery socks. The shuffle turns first into a slide, then into a slip and last but not least into a thumb when Buck barely manages to catch himself against his dining table. </p><p>The laundry on the table suggests that Buck was in the middle of doing chores and got thoroughly distracted. Eddie knows the man can be a dork but he’s never seen him like this. Carefree, having fun and not watching his every step as if to gauge if he’s even allowed to act a certain way, to say something.</p><p>Eddie knows it’s a little creepy and highly unfair towards Buck. But he watches him a second or two longer. Just this kind of unrestricted joy and energy emitting from Buck? It’s really fucking attractive. And in this moment Eddie can freely admit that he’s absolutely and irrevocably in love with his best friend. Who is doing another round of shaking, waving and almost slipping on Eddie's screen.</p><p>Tears are streaming down Eddie’s cheeks. And he knows, without a doubt, that they’ll tell on him. He unmutes his program and reconnects his camera with one click. But then he doesn’t really know how to proceed. He could simply close everything, never let Buck know, forget about it. Only, he hasn’t laughed like that in years. Hasn’t felt like in, he’d say forever. And he wants Buck to know that. He wants Buck to know that he’s the reason Eddie thinks he can be happy again. </p><p>So he just goes for it.</p><p>“Buck.”</p><p>Maybe not the best way to do this but it’s effective. Because Buck actually jumps. Impressively high even. Then he flails, curses loudly and twists around mid-air. He looks confused, adorably so. Not sure who called out to him.</p><p>“Hey, Buck,” Eddie says again.</p><p>Buck frantically slip-slides across the floor, catches himself on one of the chairs and stops right in front of the camera. Buck’s so close that Eddie can see all the horror of being seen, of having been caught, playing across Buck’s ruddy face.</p><p>“Eddie? Just fucking Christ. You scared the crap out of me. How is this even still on? Oh... oh no... How… How much have you seen? Please tell you just came back on.”</p><p>“Yeah. Just,” Eddie gasps out. Buck’s wide eyes set him off all over again. </p><p>“Sorry… sorry, just… saw a minute or two.” Eddie finally manages to get out. Calms down enough to hold a conversation.</p><p> “Oh god why?” Buck whines, thumbs his head against the table and doesn’t dare to look up at the camera again. Then his head snaps up, eyes even wider.</p><p>“Did you hear me sing?” </p><p>“What? Really? Damn, I missed that. Those moves were very impressive though.” Eddie feels the laughter bubbling up all over again. Just thinking about it makes him grin.</p><p>“Oh fuck off, Eddie,” Buck sighs, then groans and tries to hide his red face again.</p><p>“No, really. Was very cute. You shaking your hips to Sesame Street is something I never thought I’d see. But…” Eddie’s not sure he should continue there. He’s on the verge of releasing a truth they might not be ready for.</p><p>“But?” </p><p>Buck’s eyes are peaking at him from the lower edge of the screen, cautious but interested.</p><p>“I like… loved seeing you this carefree. It’s a rare but very nice sight. So are the hip shakes by the way.” </p><p>The smile he sends Buck comes easy. Because he means every word, has meant it for a while now. The thing is, this could make or destroy them. Either way, it’ll change things. And Eddie usually isn’t so good about changes. Dealing with them yeah, but accepting? That’s another story.</p><p>“Really?” Buck’s smile is smug, knowing. That man knows what kind of effect he has on others. But the lingering uncertainty shows that he never expected Eddie to belong to those who can be enamored by him.</p><p>“Yes. The mid-air twist was impressive, though.” And just the indignant squawk sets Eddie right off again. He’s laughing so hard that he can only watch through tears when Buck says a very emphasised “fuck you” and slams the laptop shut.</p><p>Eddie doesn’t have much time to contemplate what he should do once he has calmed down again. A minute after Buck left him with a blank screen and even more hiccups Eddie gets a text.</p><p>“Stay where you are.”</p><p>Nothing more. </p><p>It makes him smile anyway.</p><p>+++</p><p>And then Buck’s standing in front of him. Cheeks still red but a smile on his lips unlike any Eddie has received from him so far. He steps aside to let Buck in and snorts at the socks Buck’s revealing when he toes off his shoes. Non-slip socks. </p><p>“If you start laughing again, I’ll leave.”</p><p>Eddie doesn’t believe a single word. Because the second they are in the living room, hidden from view and therefore Christopher, Buck’s on him. Buck kisses like he seems to be doing everything else, with some sort of controlled abandon. Slow at first, probing and tentative but sure of it at the same time.  It only slips into complete abandon when Eddie starts to kiss back.</p><p>Eddie has never felt more at home with someone that isn’t his son or family. And as much as he hates to admit it, not even with Shannon. He surges into the kisses when he feels Buck drawing back. He needs more right now. He needs to feel Buck this way for just a second longer, reassure himself that this is real. That he’s actually as happy as he feels.</p><p>They are panting when they part. They stay close, though. Pressed against each other and the wall that separates them from the hallway. Eddie has his fingers tangled in soft curls, his knee slipped between strong thighs and his forehead resting against Buck’s. This is a surprise even though it really isn’t.</p><p>“You think you are the only one loving what you saw on-screen? Seeing you laugh like that… god, Eds. It’s everything. I wanna make you laugh like that all the time,” Bucks whispers against his lips, steals another soft kiss before he just looks at him with an even softer smile.</p><p>“I think that might be possible. As long as you stay the way you are. Including Sesame Street dances, hip shakes and flailing arms.”</p><p>Buck’s embarrassed groan is almost drowned out by Chris’ excited question if Buck is here. It’s too late to really disentangle from each other but they manage to get into a child friendly, mean less compromising and therefore confusing, position before Chris rounds the corner. Eddie can barely manage to stop Chris from throwing himself against Buck.</p><p>“No hugging just yet. You know Buck has been sick.”</p><p>“You are hugging him,” Chris says with a pout and a defiant look. He’s not wrong. And for a second there Eddie is clueless how to answer.</p><p>“Your dad’s immune system is a little older than yours. So it’s a bit stronger. Let’s not risk it, superman. We can hug in a few days again. Promise.”</p><p>Chris looks at them then, contemplatively but nods a moment later. Eddie watches him walk towards the couch and knows his time with Buck has come to end for now. With Chris’s back turned to them, Eddie steals one last kiss.</p><p>“Movie? With you on the far end of the couch?” Day plans be damned. And Spohia's drama can wait, too.</p><p>“Deal.”</p><p>Sometimes, things can be simple as that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Somehow this turned out into something longer than I anticipated. This was supposed to be short anf sweet. But then Buck shook his hips, Eddie started laughing and Chris wanted an appearance as well. Okay, so this was a distraction from some real life stuff and it helped. :)</p><p>Thanks A.<br/>Same as always: all remaining mistakes belong to me.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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